Asking a high school senior to pick a major to study at the age of 17-18 years old feels crazy.
Making a plan for college in middle school? Insane. Or is it?
Gone are the days of not thinking about college or post-graduation plans until the beginning of senior year of high school.
But how early is too early to think about college?
(Before we go any further, I want to say that this is not an article telling you that your child has to acheive a million things or they will be a complete failure.)
We were homeschooling our boys when my oldest was in sixth grade. Imagine my surprise when I received an invitation from our local community college for an information session. Surely they had sent it by accident.
If there is something I love, it’s information. I want to be well-educated on whatever I am doing.
This includes parenting, investing, buying a house, having a chronic illness, or running an online business. I’m used to thinking ahead, so hearing from a college when my child was in sixth grade was shocking even to my planner-loving mind.
When we decided to start homeschooling, I dove headfirst into homeschooling conferences. I read several books on learning styles, and education models. My sister taught both on the high school and college level. I spent hours upon hours researching curriculum and then ran all of my choices through her to get a professional opinion. I had a phone meeting with the head of Non-Public Education for North Carolina. I learned about the testing regulations, requirements, companies, and comparisons between tests given to public schools and those available to private schools. Finally, I had several conversations with public and private school teachers about how much of a textbook is actually completed by the end of the school year. This multi-angle approach is what I use in learning for any topic.
Between using this approach and being two years into our homeschool experience at this point, I thought I was humming along. Was college or even high school on my mind? Nope.
I went to the college information session and was blown away by how the system was being used and some of the stats shared on almost every aspect of higher education. Four-year colleges, the community college transfer path, and trade schools.
I think what surprised me the most was that for some, college was a topic that was being thought about seven years before their child would traditionally walk into a college class.
I like to be prepared well before I even need to consider starting something, and this left me feeling empowered that I had a good handle on college choices before we entered high school.
Higher education and post-graduation plans are nuanced choices. So many factors go into these decisions.
It all depends on your level of intensity and what your child is interested in. I would rather say no to an opportunity than to have regret because I was not aware of it.
So, should you start learning about college and the application process while your child is still in middle school?
My answer is yes.
Your child’s high school experience can have a significant affect on the direction they end up going post graduation. It could open doors for them, burn them out or they can land somewhere in the middle.
Take time to learn about the high school and dual enrollment options in your area.
Along the same lines, take the time to learn about the colleges in your area or schools that offer majors that your child is interested in.
In North Carolina, we have a wonderful public university system. In some states, they offer college scholarships based on the standardized tests SAT & ACT.
The earlier you know about these opportunities, the easier it will be to incorporate them into your education plan.
Planning classes: Some colleges have very specific requirements for science and math classes. Some will allow you to skip taking a foreign language if you complete two years in high school, etc. The list goes on.
Learning about the various systems and opportunities will allow you to align your family values, your education goals for your children, and what they want from this experience.
If you are thinking that you have never taken the time to formally establish family values, I have created a free workbook for you.
I want to pause here and mention that just because there are programs and opportunities available, it does not mean that your child needs to take advantage of every opportunity.
Some kids will love the idea of trying to graduate high school with both a high school diploma and an associate degree.
Some kids want the big competitive schools and are willing to do the work that it takes to get into them.
Some kids will not want to take any honors, AP, or college classes.
Both paths are valid. It will not determine the success or failure of your child or you as a parent.
What college, university, trade school, or job your child ends up at does not determine the rest of their life.
It is not easy to walk this path while watching social media posts, articles, and news segments talking about college acceptance rates, student loans, thriving and failing career paths, and so on.
Just like with every other aspect of parenting, take the information you are learning and make the best decision based on your individual situation.
The important thing to keep front of mind is that you want to align your experience with the values and goals mentioned earlier without sacrificing opportunity.
